Women’s Italian Open with a view to Paris ’24

Two years after its last edition, the Women’s Italian Open makes its return. It will be held from June 14th to 16th at “Il Nazionale” in Sutri (Viterbo), the home of Italian golf. It promises to be a show with a view towards the Olympics. The tournament, included in the Ladies European Tour calendar, the top European circuit, will represent the penultimate qualifying stage for the Paris Games. “In my life, I have always kept promises. Against all odds, I guaranteed that this year, in addition to the men’s Open, we would also organize the women’s event. Not just for the sake of it, but to offer the best possible spectacle,” said Franco Chimenti, president of the Italian Golf Federation, expressing his satisfaction. He added, “The tournament will be one of the most important events on the Ladies European Tour 2024 and will be a crucial event for qualification for the Paris Games. Thanks to the Lazio Region, led by President Francesco Rocca, who believed in the potential of the event from the start, and to the Ladies European Tour.”

The women’s Italian Open, schedule

Now in its 27th edition, 17 years after its last occurrence, the tournament returns to Lazio. “The Region has immediately played a leading role, along with the Italian Golf Federation and the Ladies European Tour, in supporting this important event for Olympic qualifications. After hosting the Ryder Cup last year at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Guidonia Montecelio, Lazio continues to be the Capital Region of Italian sports, an important achievement for the entire Region,” said Francesco Rocca, President of the Lazio Region.

The spectacle at the Golf Nazionale di Sutri will kick off on Thursday, June 13th, with the Pro-Am. Then the real competition begins. With the Italian women, led by Alessandra Fanali and Virginia Elena Carta, the highest-ranked players, both chasing Olympic qualification, pursuing the dream of Italy’s first victory. So far, in the history of the competition, Italy has achieved five second-place finishes, with Silvia Cavalleri (2000 and 2002), Veronica Zorzi (2005), Giulia Sergas (2011), and Alessandra Fanali (2022) coming close. Fanali, a 24-year-old from Alatri (Frosinone) and raised in Fiuggi, two years ago at the Golf Club Margara in Fubine Monferrato (Alessandria), narrowly missed victory. She surrendered only in a playoff to Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux, who clinched the title with an eagle, surpassing England’s Meghan MacLaren.

At the Golf Nazionale di Sutri, which has hosted significant international events over the years, such as the World Cup in 1991 and the Junior Ryder Cup in 2023 (for the first two days of competition), a total purse of €300,000 will be at stake, with €45,000 going to the winner.

And it’s not just the Men’s Italian Open, scheduled from June 27th to 30th at the Adriatic Golf Club in Cervia, Emilia-Romagna. This year’s spectacle is twofold, with the queens of European golf taking center stage in the greens of Coverciano.